The Ghost, The Tin Man and the Runaway Princess
by AstridMikaelson
Summary: DG overhears something she isn't meant to hear and taking it the wrong way leaves the safety of her new home to seek out the answers she needs from someone that knows how it feels to be deeply in love with a stubborn Tin Man. Rated T for now the rating is subject to change in later chapters you have fair warning.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do Not own Tin Man it and all recognizable characters belong to their respective owners which isn't me i'm just borrowing them for a while :)**

 **A/N: A big thank you to Hippo-Griff Tamer from being my Beta for this especially since i sent about four chapters to her all in one day. (Yes i am aware i do not paint Adora and Cains marriage in a good light in this story but just go with it after all this story isn't about them :))**

The Ghost, The Tin Man and a Runaway Princess

It had been an entire annual since the witches fall and everything in the OZ was beginning to look up. At least it was until until DG heard something about herself that had her frozen in place, pain lancing through her. Turning quickly away, she returned to her chamber silent tears had already begun to fall. She had always been taught never to eavesdrop for you never hear anything good about yourself when you do but she had wanted to tell him what she had just discovered and even though she had known that he couldn't return the feeling now she had hoped that sometime in the future he just might. Now that hope was shattered. Making up her mind, she pulled a small bag out and began to pack it with a few things and then waited for the cover of darkness.

Sneaking out of the palace at Finaqua would have been easier than trying to get out of the palace she was currently residing in. However, seeing as they were currently in the Capitol, she had to find a way to blend in before she could take off to the destination she had already planned on. Finally, she decided on using the servants entrance as it was always left unlocked at night. Sneaking into the kitchen, she quickly and quietly opened the door and hurried out hoping that no one would see her. Once she was clear of the palace, she made her way to the city gates. This though was going to be a problem for if they recognized her she would be taken back to the palace and she would have to face him. And that was not something she really wanted to do. Especially after what he had said. She placed a glamour spell on herself and hoped that it was enough. Then she boldly walked through the gates, the guards there letting her pass thinking she was simply a servant. She smiled behind the glamour and then slowly walked away from the shinning city.

She left the city and continued to walk until she was far enough away that no one would notice the travel storm she was going to call up. In a clearing nearly two miles from the city, she called the storm and taking one last look at the city she jumped, ordering the storm to take her to her chosen destination. To take her to Adora's final resting place.

DGWC

Wyatt and his son, Jeb were in his room at the palace, when his son looked at him straight in the eye and asked, "Dad, why won't you tell DG how you feel?"

Startled by the question Cain looked at his son like he had grown another head. Surely his son had not just asked him what he thought he had heard him ask. "I'm not sure as to what you are referring to," he returned although he knew. He had known for sometime that his feelings for the youngest princess of the OZ were more than those of a friend. That the feelings he had for her went far beyond friendship and into the realm he just wasn't ready to explore, at least not just yet.

"Dad, we all know that you're in love with her. Anyone with eyes can see it. Everyone, it seems, but the two of you. So again I ask why not just tell her? It not like she would reject you. We all can see that she returns the feeling wholeheartedly."

This bit of information startled Cain even more. He couldn't let DG love him. He just couldn't, no matter how much he wanted her to. He was older than her by at least two decades and there was no telling what that iron suit had done to him. It wasn't something he was willing to discover. "Jeb, I can never and will never love her..." he paused for a moment thinking he had heard footsteps outside the room but when he listened closer he heard nothing more and then continued on. "At least not in the same way I loved your mother."

Jeb stared at his father in confusion. "I know that Dad but Mom would want you to move on. I want to see you happy again and DG...well, she makes you happy. In fact, you are far happier when you are with her than you ever were with Mother. Don't think I didn't hear the arguing between you and Mom. I know you are trying to be all noble and all. Sure DG may be only slightly older than myself and only a little bit younger than yourself, but you need to face it Dad and tell her."

Cain sighed knowing his son was right. He may not love DG in the same way that he had loved Adora but he loved her all the same and it was time to tell her.

"Why are you not upset about all of this Jeb?" he finally asked turning to look at his son.

"I was at first when I realized that you had feelings for DG. I was angry you could forget Mom so easily, but as I got to know her, I came to understand why you fell for her. Mom and DG are similar in so many ways. Both of them are sweet, caring, brave... but DG...DG challenges you which is something Mother never did."

Cain had a feeling his son was keeping something from him. So he asked him why he kept saying that DG was only a little bit younger than himself for he knew for a fact that he was at least twenty annuals older.

Jeb realized then that his father had no idea what had happened to him while in the suit. A fact he himself would never had known had Zero not said something about in it passing so long ago. "Dad, you really don't know do you?"

"Know what?" Wyatt asked in confusion.

"Dad, go look at yourself in a mirror and tell me how old you look to yourself," Jeb said a slight smirk playing on his lips.

Cain shrugged and did as his son asked but he really did see what the fuss was about. He gave himself a once over but he didn't see what it was he was supposed to be seeing. All he saw was himself as he had always been.

Jeb came up behind him and laid a hand on his dad's shoulder. "Dad, you stopped aging when they put you in the suit. It was designed as a torture device to last for all eternity. You come out of it the same age as when you went in. Hence, why you don't look any older. You went in at the age of thirty two and you came out of it the same age. Its like awakening from a deep sleep and no time has passed for you but for the rest of the world time has simply flown by."

Cain was in shock. All of his reasoning for not telling her suddenly flew out the open window. The age difference between them had been his last defense against telling her how he felt and now that that wasn't even a barrier between them made him sink down onto his bed his mind racing.

"Okay, son I will talk to her in the morning."

Jeb nodded and then left his father's room and headed for his own.

DGWC

DG landed right outside the hill that overlooked the valley were the white elm tree stood. She slowly walked to the cabin that sat by the lone grave of the woman that Cain was unwilling to move on from. When she made it to the grave, she threw up a cloaking spell that would prevent any and all from finding her especially her sister, Az. The cloak was designed to remain up until her true love walked through it. It was a clever thing she had done which had allowed for the permanency of the spell. It was similar to the spell the witch had done to Finaqua. However, she had added the true love part to it for she knew that he would not come after her, not now, not ever. He had said he didn't love her and never would and she believed him for Cain never lied it went against his very nature. Certain that she was safe from all outside intrusion, she called up the spirit of Cain's beloved wife.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do Not own Tin Man it and all recognizable characters belong to their respective owners which isn't me i'm just borrowing them for a while :)**

 **A/N: A big thank you to Hippo-Griff Tamer from being my Beta for this especially since i sent about four chapters to her all in one day. (Yes i am aware i do not paint Adora and Cains marriage in a good light in this story but just go with it after all this story isn't about them :))**

Chapter 2

 _Certain that she was safe from all outside intrusion, she called up the spirit of Cain's beloved wife._

The spirit of Adora Cain sat on the railing of the porch of the cabin looking at the young princess whom her husband had fallen in love with and smiled. Having spent much of her time in the spirit realm, watching over her husband and son, she had come to discover that her husband's feelings for the princess ran deeper than she had ever thought possible. Her husband was not one to lose himself to his emotions. He had never allowed himself show his true regard even for her, but with the princess he had somehow let his guard fall and had let her in without ever even realizing it and now he was fighting himself and his deeply set emotions for the young woman. Seeing as the princess had yet to see her she took her time watching the young woman.

"Adora, I'm not sure if I did the spell right to call you or not but I really do need to speak with you," DG said in a soft voice. A voice the spirit detected was on the verge of breaking.

"And what does the young princess of the OZ wish to talk to me about?" she asked, hiding a grin on her face when the woman spun around to stare at her.

"I... that is..." the princess sputtered not quite believing that the spell had actually worked.

Adora stared at the girl. Her son was right; they were similar in many ways. Both in height and build. The only difference was their eyes and their hair color. "You what?"

To say that DG was flustered would have been an understatement. She wondered why she had chosen to come back here in the first place. Then finding her bearings she faced the ghost. Upon looking at her DG began to see why Wyatt was having a hard time letting go. The woman was gorgeous even in her ghostly form. Sighing she finally asked in a frustrated manner, "Was he always this stubborn?"

Adora knew to whom the girl was referring to and gestured that they sit down. Once settled Adora began, "Princess..."

"DG, please, I hate being referred to by my title."

The ghost smiled and continued, "DG, he has always been stubborn. It's just part of who he is. If you think that he has a hard time telling you how he feels you should have seen him when he was pursuing me," she laughed as the memory surfaced.

"What does that mean? He is deeply in love with you," DG said confused.

"No, he is deeply in love with you and always will be. He is your true love DG even if he doesn't quite understand that right now but he will."

"I don't understand...he said that he could never and would never love me."

"And had you stayed to listen he would have finished with but 'not in the same way'." Adora smiled at the girl beside her.

DG was in shock, her mind going back to the over heard conversation between father and son. She knew she shouldn't have listened in. She felt more than a little annoyed with herself at the moment for running off before he had finished speaking.

"I feel so foolish right now," DG stated.

"It's understandable, I did something similar when he was courting me. You are not the first to misinterpret his words."

"Adora, you said that he was my true love. How do you know this?" she asked changing the subject.

"I simply do and because as a spirit we can sense these things better than our human selves ever could but that is not all you two are to each other; you are also soul-mates. In the OZ that is something that rarely happens and that type of bond...well its special."

DG was thrown for a loop at the spirits words. She had always known that she had some type of connection to Cain but she never thought that it could be anything like Adora was talking about. "Soul mates?!" she squeaked out through a suddenly dry throat.

"Yes." Adora answered matter-of-factually.

The princess sat staring out over the field surrounding the small cabin by the white elm. She could not wrap her head around what the ghost was telling her. She had read something about the rare Soul pairing. The last one in Ozian history had been the one between the first Dorothy Gale and her own Tin Man. She also knew that once the bond was complete they would share something so profound that it would go beyond both friendship and love.

"Adora, do you think he will come after me? Should I just return to the palace?" she questioned the spirit in a voice that didn't sound like her own.

" Yes, he will come after you, especially when he comes to terms with his own feelings for you. And No, I think you should stay right here. Right now he's warring with himself on whether what he feels is love or simply his desire to protect you. He can't see that you are his one true love. He is blinded by his love for me and even if he did at this very moment wake up and see it, he would still refuse to tell you so."

"How do you know what he's doing right now? You're here with me," DG asked perplexed.

"I can sense him as I can Jeb. But I have been watching over them both since my untimely death, praying that Ozma would somehow heal the both of them and bring them both to their true loves." Adora answered truthfully.

DG listened to the advise and decided that staying put for the time being was a good idea. She hated being a princess but at the same time loved it. She knew that with her title came certain responsibilities but she just wanted time to herself. Time to get settled in and get to know the home she had once known.

Nodding she allowed Adora's spirit to fade as she used her magic to restore the land around the tiny cabin as well as the cabin itself before forcing the cloaked barrier to extend a bit farther out. When she was finished she went inside and finding a bed she collapsed sleep taking her instantly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do Not own Tin Man it and all recognizable characters belong to their respective owners which isn't me i'm just borrowing them for a while :)**

 **A/N: A big thank you to Hippo-Griff Tamer from being my Beta for this especially since i sent about four chapters to her all in one day. (Yes i am aware i do not paint Adora and Cains marriage in a good light in this story but just go with it after all this story isn't about them :))**

Chapter 3

Cain woke up the following morning smiling which was a rare occurrence for him. He hadn't woken up smiling since long before the war had begun. Getting up, he hurriedly dressed in his normal attire of white linen shirt, brown leather vest, khaki pants as well as his holster, duster, boots and fedora. Then leaving the room he strolled through the palace on his way to DG's chamber intent on telling her how he felt, when he heard Azkadellia scream out her sisters name. In a panic he raced towards the elder princess who was staring into the younger princess's bedchamber. He looked around and that's when he noticed that the bed had not been slept in. That alone made him panic more as he knew DG liked to sleep in and either he or Az were the one's that had to awaken her. He then noticed that there were several clothing items missing from her wardrobe which was standing wide open. He looked around trying to locate the missing princess. He had a bad feeling something had happened to her. He turned to Azkadellia and told her that he would find her sister before asking her to perform a location spell just in case he didn't. He then left the elder princess and raced through the palace looking in every place that she liked to frequent. Not finding her in any of the usual places, he began his search of the gardens and the courtyard. Still there was no sign of the missing princess. Worry began to turn to anger and anger to fear. What had happened to her? Had she been abducted in the middle of the night and no one noticed? There was still some factions of Long Coats out there so it was feasible. He searched every logical place there was to search before heading into the city itself. An entire day went by and still no one could locate the missing princess.

He returned to the palace and was told that the Queen and Consort would like a word with him. He nodded and headed to the Queen's office.

"Mr. Cain, have you had any luck at all finding her?" the Queen asked tearfully after he entered to room.

"I am afraid not your Majesty. I have looked everywhere yet there is no sign of her. But I promise you that I will not rest until she is found."

The Queen stared at him knowingly. She knew, like everyone else in the palace, that Wyatt Cain was in love with her daughter and had been for a long time. She also knew that he would never give up his search of the missing princess no matter the cost to himself. "I know... I know you will not rest until she is found, Mr. Cain. You love her don't you?" DG's mother spoke knowingly.

Turning back to his sovereign he was surprised that she could see it. Maybe Jeb was right and everyone knew of his feelings for the young princess. He simply nodded telling her without words that he did indeed love DG.

"Find our daughter, Mr. Cain and bring her home," Ahamo, the Prince Consort, said giving Cain a short nod.

"I will," he stated confidant in his ability to find the young woman before leaving the room. He was stopped by Az.

"Mr. Cain, I did the location spell you asked me to do. The only thing is it places her in an empty field."

This surprised Cain. Why would she be in an empty field unless...NO he was not going to go there. He refused to think anything like that could have happened to her. He refused to lose another woman that he loved.

"Show me," he said to the elder princess and she took him to the library where Glitch, Raw and his son were all waiting.

"Watch," Az said as she placed the pendant above the three-d map of the OZ. "Find DG," she spoke and the pendant circled around on its own and like the princess had told him it stopped on an empty field.

"This makes no since. Why would it stop on nothing?" Glitch stated scratching his head in confusion.

"DG there, Raw feel presence," Raw spoke knowingly.

"There's nothing there. And unless she's hurt and can't move there is no reason for her to be there. No shelter nothing." Jeb stated.

Cain looked at the map studying it for several moments. Something seemed off about it but he couldn't place what it was. He continued to stare at the map before asking Az, "Is there a way she could be I don't know... cloaking her presence from us but Raw can still feel her?"

"She could be but unless her memories have returned, which is unlikely, she can not. Her magic wouldn't be strong enough," she answered the ex Tin Man.

"What do you mean it's unlikely her memories have been unlocked?" Jeb asked looking between his father and the elder princess confusion clearly written on his face.

"Exactly that. When mother brought DG back as a child she gave up her own magic in doing so giving it to my sister. My mothers magic could only be unlocked by ...well...,"

"Az?" Jeb questioned wondering why the princess he had been assigned to protect was blushing so.

"Like my mother, DG has to become one with her true love before her magic can be unlocked," Az finally said in a rush.

The entire room stood still at that revelation. Wyatt turned and left the room, he himself blushing a deep red as he headed back to her chamber. The implications of Az's words making him think of everything that he wanted to do to his missing princess once he found her and all of them involved a bed. As he walked into her chamber, the Tin Man in him was intent on thoroughly going through everything trying to see if they had missed something. Looking for a note or anything that could tell them why she was in an empty field. He did notice that all her toiletries from the bathroom were missing as well as her hair brush from the vanity but when he could find nothing else missing or otherwise he knew that she had not been kidnapped but she had run away. He sank down onto her bed and laid his head in his hands. Why? Why would she run away? He just couldn't figure out why. He didn't recall her being unhappy the day before so he was at a loss as to why she had run unless... He suddenly recalled thinking he had heard footsteps outside his door the night before when he was talking with Jeb. If she had overheard what he had said and had not stuck around to hear the rest of the conversation, then she believed that he didn't love her and in her mind never would.

Standing he began to pace the length of her room trying to think about where she would have gone to escape him. Then something about the map sparked a memory. A painful memory. He suddenly knew where she was though he couldn't figure out why she would have gone there of all places. Whirling around he ran back to the library.

"Dad?!" "Mr. Cain?" "Cain?" Jeb, Az and Glitch said at the same time.

"Let me see that map again Az," he demanded an angry gleam in his ice blue eyes.

She placed the map back on the table and he studied it again. Sure enough the cabin that should have been there wasn't. "Az, I think she has recovered all her memories as well as her latent magic, though as you said it should have been impossible for her to do so," he finally said suppressed anger clouding his voice. He wanted to know who had helped her unlock her magic and her memories and he wanted to tear them apart!

"What do you mean?" she asked confusion coloring her words. Az was really confused. Her mother had told her that DG would not be able to unlock her memories on her own. Her magic would not be strong enough to do it on her own. So how she could have cloaked her presence from them was confusing. She knew for a fact her sister was still untouched, so it made no sense to her that DG had hidden the fact that she had somehow unlocked her memories without help.

Ignoring Az for a moment, he looked up at his son. "Jeb, look at the map and tell me what's missing right here," he said pointing to the field where a cabin should have been.

"Dad, there is nothing there that isn't supposed to be there," Jeb insisted.

"She's there hiding in the cabin where you and your mother were last together. I remember the location perfectly because of the cabin here," he pointed to the cabin that the foursome had come across on their journey the year before. "I thought that something was off about this map but I just could not place what it was, she has also used her magic to keep it hidden from sight though how I don't know but I intend to find out!" he growled out the latter part before continuing, "She doesn't want anyone to find her. It's the reason Raw can sense her but we couldn't figure out why she would be in a barren field. She's not in the field but in the cabin by Adora's final resting place."

Jeb looked back at the map and realized that his father was right. There should be a cabin there but there wasn't. He looked back up and asked, "But why is she hiding in the first place?"

Cain had the nerve to look guilty at his son's question. "I think I know why and I have no one to blame but myself."

"Mr. Cain that can't be true. My sister loves you. She told me so herself last night right after she realized it. She was on her way to tell you so, didn't you two see each other?"

"No," he whispered. The anger he had felt melting away to be replaced by agony which was tearing at his heart. He had caused her to run away. If she believed that he didn't love her it may have been the cause of her sudden disappearance.

"What do you mean no?" AZ demanded.

"I was talking with Jeb last night when I thought I heard someone out side the door but when there was no knock I figured it was just me being paranoid. It had to be DG out there. She must have overheard part of a conversation I was having with my son."

Az suddenly became angry, "What exactly were you saying when you heard the noise?"

Jeb answered for his father, "He said that he could never and would never love DG," then continued before the elder princess exploded in fury, "He finished by saying at least not in the same way that he loved my mother. DG must have only heard the first part and took off thinking that my dad would never love her."

Cain made a sound like a wounded animal before gruffly stating he was leaving at first light. If they wanted to accompany him then to meet him in the court yard at first sunrise. He then left the room.

"He really does love her doesn't he?" Az said as she watched the ex Tin Man walk away. "I don't understand. Why is he so angry?" AZ continued, confused by the mans behavior.

It was Raw who answered her having picked up the feelings churning within the Tin Man. "Thinks DG had help unlocking memories. Angry that it wasn't him she asked to help."

"But she's still an innocent! How could he think something so low of her?"

"Feels betrayed," Raw shrugged not really understanding the feelings going on in his friend.

"But she would never do such a thing! She loves him so much that the past year has been difficult for her. She only just realized that she was in love with him but Glitch said that he knew of their feelings for each other long before the attack on the tower!"

"Yes, he loves her and I knew it too. When he was in our camp when the witch had imprisoned DG in the crypt his worry for her was apparent and I knew that something had changed in him. I could see that he had feelings for the princess even then, but the guilt he is feeling right now would not be weighing him down if he didn't love her as much as he does. Not to worry it will all work out in the end, you'll see," Jeb said taking Az's hand in his.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do Not own Tin Man it and all recognizable characters belong to their respective owners which isn't me i'm just borrowing them for a while :)**

 **A/N: A big thank you to Hippo-Griff Tamer from being my Beta for this especially since i sent about four chapters to her all in one day. (Yes i am aware i do not paint Adora and Cains marriage in a good light in this story but just go with it after all this story isn't about them :))**

Chapter 4 (takes place during chapter 3)

DG awoke in an unfamiliar place. Momentarily disoriented, she looked around before recalling why she was in the small cabin in the middle of nowhere. Sighing, she got up and dressed. She walked down the stairs and gasped in surprised at seeing Adora's ghost sitting at the table.

"Sleep well, DG?"

"Not really," came the sleepy princess's reply.

"They are worried, your sister especially," Adora said softly.

"I know, maybe I should go back and face the music," DG sighed sitting down at the tale across from the spirit.

"Oh, I don't think you should. Besides we had this conversation last night if I remember correctly," Adora said smiling.

"I am well aware of the fact that we talked about this last night, but if they are all worried about me then I should just face it and return home."

"No, they will come for you tomorrow at the very latest, the decision about that has already been made. Though, they will not know how to get through the barrier you have erected."

"It shouldn't be to hard. All Wyatt has to do is walk through it and the spell holding the barrier up will disintegrate. At least it should," DG said truthfully.

"But what if someone else were to walk through it? Say your sister?"

"They would find nothing but an open field," came her reply

"You know that they are wondering how you were able to erect such an elaborate cloak when your magic has yet to be unlocked," the spirit said in passing as she watched the young woman's face.

"I'm not sure how. I do know that my magic has been unlocked though not the memories. Mother told Az and I once what it would take for me to unlock both and seeing as that has yet to happen... I am not quite sure how I was able to erect the barrier. My theory is that my love for Wyatt is so strong that even though we haven't come together physically, the emotion side of the bond has helped me to unlock at least part of my latent magic," DG explained.

"Yet, you are not ready to face him are you?" Adora asked after watching the princess's face for several minutes.

"No," she whispered softly.

"So why not make the barrier so it blocks even him? At least until you are ready to talk to him?"

DG looked up sharply at this. Could she? It wasn't such a bad idea. She knew that if they were to show up in the morning as Adora mentioned then... she let the rest of the thought fade.

"You are a genius!" DG cried and then reaching into herself for the magic to change the spell slightly. Only this time she linked her own feelings for Wyatt into it so that when she was ready to talk to him he would be allowed through the barrier not a moment before.

Once the barrier had been fixed she turned to Adora, "Why are you helping me keep him away?"

"Because you are not ready to face him DG. Even though you love him, his words hurt you deeply. It will take time for you to be able to even look at him without the hurt pulsating through you. Trust me, I know all to well."

She looked at the spirit whom she now counted as a friend, one delicate brow raised in question at her remark. Adora sighed and explained what had happened between them when they had been courting and the many misunderstandings that had stood in their way after they had married.

"So it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine in paradise then?" DG wasn't expecting Adora to understand what she was saying though.

"You could say that. After we married the harmony that should have been there wasn't and I now know why." Though she refrained from telling the princess the real reason behind the discord in her marriage to Wyatt.

"Why then?"

"Because we simply were not meant for each other, not like the two of you are. We fought all the time and I mean all the time. It got better once I had Jeb but the fights, the angry words, they still managed to come out only quieter and less noticeable by a young child. Did you know that I didn't even want him to become a Tin Man? I simply went along with it because I knew of his stubborn nature."

DG was floored by that little tidbit of information. She couldn't think of Wyatt as anything but her Tin Man and his own wife had not wanted him to pursue it?

After a little time had passed and DG had thought about Adora's words she asked the question that had been burning in her head since the moment she had figured out that Wyatt had not been quite truthful with her about his relationship with his deceased wife. "It makes no since why would he...?"

"Why would he think of only the good in our marriage and leave out the bad? Why would he not let on that our marriage was not the perfect one he hoped it would be? I can't answer you that. Maybe it was what kept him going while in the iron suit. I always knew that he was too stubborn to just die. I knew that Zero had lied to Jeb and I when he told us that Wyatt was dead."

"If you knew that, then why didn't you come back and let him out?"

Adora wanted to answer her young new friend but knew that she couldn't. So instead of telling her the truth she answered, "Because we were being watched. Zero made sure that there were eyes on us all the time. We couldn't risk returning to the homestead and letting him out."

"About the suit, I do have a question that has been bothering me for some time, why is it he didn't seem to age? In the projection of that time loop thing he was forced to watch he didn't seem all that old maybe in his late twenties or early thirties but when Glitch and I rescued him and he got all cleaned up he didn't look like he had aged a single day."

"Because he didn't age," Adora began only to stop at the princess's gasp. She began again after a nod from DG, "Zero loved to torture Jeb and I about Wyatt being put in the Suit. One day he was careless and told us that he would never age as long as he was in the suit. He would have to watch as we were tortured for all eternity, living the nightmare daily while the world around him aged and eventually faded out of existence."

"Okay I once thought it was cruel but this goes beyond cruel and unusual punishment. Its no wonder he wanted Zero dead."

"Oh, but that's the thing, the victim doesn't know what happens to them when they are put in the suit."

"You mean Wyatt thinks he's older than he really is!?"

"Yes. He believes himself to be over twenty annuals older than you, when actually it's more like only ten maybe twelve at the most. It's why he didn't allow himself to become attached to you when you stopped the witch. He thought he was way too old for you and so didn't pursue you even though he really wanted to."

"When exactly did his feelings go from needing to protect me to loving me anyway?" she asked out of curiosity wondering if Adora knew the answer to that question.

Adora leveled her eyes at the girl and smiled, "You know when, DG. Just think back to before the battle. Think about the week you spent with him. The answer to your question is there in your memories."

DG sat staring at Adora trying to comprehend what the woman was telling her. She thought back to their time together as they searched for the Emerald. It wasn't until the memory of the embrace she had given him in the tower, when he and Glitch had come to rescue her from Azkadellia; she remembered the feeling that had accompanied that embrace, the look of pure relief on his face before she had hugged him. In fact, it was in that hug that she had felt something shift between them. She had put it off as the adrenalin that had been coursing through them at the time but had thought differently when he had been the one to initiate their last hug before the final battle. "He loved me even then didn't he?" she managed to get out.

"Yes," came the soft reply of the ghost sitting across from her.

"All this time and he said nothing?"

"Well, to be fair you didn't exactly let on that you had any feelings for him either," Adora pointed out.

"Yes, well I knew that he was still mourning your death and I was allowing him time to grieve!"

"And how much time were you willing to give him to grieve DG? Forever? You know how stubborn he is and now that you know what his personality was like before the suit, he probably never would have let on that he had any feeling for you at all. Not unless he had some indication of your feelings for him and even then it's debatable if he ever would. It's just how he is."

DG simply nodded in understanding and asked about what time would they be expecting them to be here wanting the memory of the argument with Adora to be gone.

"Mid afternoon tomorrow unless Azkadellia calls up a travel storm then it will be just after first sunrise," Adora answered before fading away again leaving the young princess to her thoughts.

DGWC

Cain, Jeb, Glitch, Raw and Az walked out of Central City just as the first sun rose into the morning sky. They had discussed it and they had agreed that it would be faster to get to DG if they went by way of a travel storm instead of by horseback. So they made their way to a hill outside the city and Az called up the storm and told it where they wanted to go. Soon they were sucked up into the twister and then moments later were deposited in the same spot DG had been a few nights before. Looking around they saw nothing but a barren field just like the map had indicated. Looking around trying to remember where the cabin had been located exactly, Jeb and Cain were both started by Raw and Az's cry.

"DG, over there," the Viewer said pointing in the direction of the invisible cabin.

"I can feel her magic, but it's stronger than it used to be. Cain, you were right, she must have unlocked her memories, though how is uncertain," Az said impressed by her sisters ability to hide her magic from them.

They all nodded and walked in the direction of the cabin they could not see.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do Not own Tin Man it and all recognizable characters belong to their respective owners which isn't me i'm just borrowing them for a while :)**

 **A/N: A big thank you to Hippo-Griff Tamer from being my Beta for this**

Chapter 5

DG heard them long before she saw them approaching the barrier. The beauty of the barrier was she could hear and see them but they could neither see nor hear her. It made her giddy when she thought about it; though if Cain ever found out he would, of course, be furious. He hated people spying on him. Smiling she watched as they all looked around trying to figure out how she had erected the barrier that they were now right outside of.

It was her sister who sorta figured it out, "The spell seems very familiar but also different..." Az said turning around twice before it hit her, "Finaqua! DG erected a cloak similar to the one the witch used on Finaqua!"

"So how do we break it? At Finaqua, DG threw a rock and the barrier dropped but I don't think a rock is going to break down this barrier," Cain stated angrily. His anger was pointed at DG because she had run off with no one to protect her and with the barrier between them he couldn't protect her now.

"DG place barrier," Raw began and continued when the entire party was looking at him. "Only true love can break the spell but spell tied to her emotional state not want to talk to Tin Man right now. Angry with self."

They all turned and looked at the elder Cain and he slumped down onto a nearby log groaning. "Raw, why?" he asked once he calmed himself down.

"DG overhear words that she should not have and ran away."

"I know that, in fact we all know that! But I what I want to know is why in her anger did she come here!? Why here of all places?!"

Raw stared at the ex Tin Man for a moment wondering if he should tell his friend why DG had chosen to come to this place. He finally decided to answer his friends inquiry, "Need talk to someone who knew you. Someone who you loved. Wants to try to understand you. Wants to know why you not tell her how you feel."

Cain pressed his head into his hands and leaned forward. Why was it everyone seemed to know his feelings except himself? "What do you mean talk to someone who I loved? Jeb is right here," he asked after looking up.

"Talk to Cain's wife. Why she come here," Raw stated calmly.

Az gasped at that and they turned to look at her. "Az, what is it?" Jeb asked, coming to stand by the princess he had been assigned to protect.

"Her magic must be stronger than I thought," she whispered and then continued when they all looked at her to continue. "Only a truly powerful mage can summon the dead. It can't be though... her magic... How could she have hidden her magic from both Mother and I? How in the name of Ozma did she unlock her magic with out help?" she finished falling onto the log Cain was sitting on.

That statement caught Cain's attention. She had unlocked her magic on her own? How? His anger at his unknown rival suddenly vanished.

"She summoned my mother?" Jeb asked surprised by the feat completely ignoring the rest of the princess's words.

"Another presence is with her, faint but there," Raw confirmed what Az had said.

Cain's head snapped back up at that. Adora was there with DG. He knew for a fact that Adora would tell DG everything she ever wanted to know about himself; about their marriage. Even though he had tried to remember only the good times, he knew that their marriage had been littered with strife and conflict. Determined to talk to DG, he walked towards the place the Elm tree should be and was surprised when he was flung back hitting the ground with a thud. Now that had not been what he had expected to happen and wondered why.

Raw looked at the Tin Man who was laying on the ground and tried not to smile at that sight. "Raw said DG not want to talk to you right now. Can't get through barrier. Tied to her emotions."

"I don't care. I can and will be talking to her by the end of the day!" he huffed standing back up.

At that his companions walked into the barrier that he had just been flung back from. Now he was mad. How in the world did they get to go through it but not himself? Okay, so she had done something that prevented him from going through it and him alone it seemed. When they walked back out sometime later and he asked, "So?"

"Nothing but a field of dead grass," Glitch said confused.

Now that was strange. "How?" he asked for he knew that there should be a cabin beyond the barrier, though if the spell was like the one the witch had used on Finaqua then he could see why there was nothing there.

Az answered, "Raw said that the barrier could only be broken by her true love and that she had also placed a spell that would keep said true love from entering the barrier until she was ready to talk. Apparently she isn't ready yet. But it seems that only you are not allowed through and by deduction we have all figured out that since you are the only one not allowed through, then you must be her true love. Though I don't see why you are not allowed to enter, there's nothing there but a barren field just like the map said."

"Well it looks like we will be camping out for awhile then," Glitch sighed dramatically looking at he sky and seeing the moon rise on the horizon.

"No we won't, Zipperhead. She can't possibly stay mad at herself forever," Cain returned the sigh as he looked at the barrier that was keeping him from the woman he loved.

Raw came over and sat by Cain on the fallen log. "Talk to her, she will hear you."

Raw's words had everyone looking at him in shock. He shrugged and said, "She can hear us."

Cain's emotions were all over the place at that. Fear, longing, love, anger, pain were all clamoring for domination. Love though won out and was pushed to the forefront of his heart and mind. He stood then and walked off, not so far that they couldn't see him but far enough away that they could not hear what he was going to say to his runaway princess.

DGWC

DG and Adora watched the group with identical smiles on their faces. Both were a bit concerned when Wyatt was thrown back from the barrier, neither had expected that to happen, and had to stifle giggles at his reaction to the others being let through but not himself.

"How long do you think before you can talk to him?" Adora asked amused.

"A few days unless he surprises me before that. He's right I can't stay mad at myself forever nor can I stay away from him for any length of time without missing him."

"I have a feeling you and he are going to have a very long heart to heart in the near future," Adora continued to smile and then laid a ghostly hand on top of the princess's and smiled, "Well, I think I will leave you for now to watch and see." With that she faded from view leaving DG to watch her sister and friends setting up camp. She kept her eyes on them but followed Wyatt when he left the group. Curious as to what he was doing, she stood nearly in front of him behind the barrier he couldn't get through.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do Not own Tin Man it and all recognizable characters belong to their respective owners which isn't me i'm just borrowing them for a while :)** **A big thank you to Hippo-Griff Tamer from being my Beta for this**

 **A/N: I am so Sorry for not updating this in so long i honestly thought i had finished this one (my oops) anyway here it is...and again i am sorry for the long wait.**

Chapter 6

Cain stood staring at the barrier he had been thrown back from only a short time ago. He paced in front of it, trying to untangle his thoughts and feelings for the woman who lay just beyond his reach.

"DG, I know you can hear me," he began and then sighed pulling off his fedora and running a hand over his short, cropped, blond hair before continuing. "I am so sorry sweetheart...I never meant...That conversation...I know you probably won't believe me but I do love you. I think I always have," he began his thoughts in a jumble, but once he found the right words they just didn't stop, "You gave me back my heart. You caused it to start beating again. When you released me from that iron suit I wanted nothing but revenge on the man who had put me there but your faith in me, your trust in me...Sweetheart, it changed me. You made me believe in my self," he stopped pacing and faced the barrier once again, "I feel like I am talking to myself here, darlin' can't you just let me in there so we can talk about this?"

Cain's shoulders slumped forward as he sat on a fallen log letting his head fall into his hands. Truth be told he was angry. Not just with himself for saying something that she had easily overheard but also with her for running off before he could explain himself. He was angry at the world in general and he silently wondered what would have happened to DG and himself had they found Adora alive and not dead. He shuddered to think what would have happened because he knew that he would have done the honorable thing and stayed with his wife instead of with the woman he had come to love so very deeply.

DG who was standing on the other side of the barrier smiled. She knew that him opening up was not easy for him. Adora had asked her before she had faded earlier if she was ready to talk to Wyatt and she had said no but he could surprise her and surprise her he did. Walking back to the house she allowed the barrier keeping him out to drop. It was time to talk.

Cain glanced over at his traveling companions to see that they had all bedded down for the night and wondered silently how long he had been staring at the barrier keeping DG and himself apart. He sighed before standing up and trying the barrier once more hoping that she was going to allow them to talk. He was surprised that instead of being thrown back from it like before he was allowed in. When he stepped past the barrier, he found himself looking at the cabin that had housed his son and his late wife but it was in a better state of repair than what it had been before. Walking to it slowly he stopped when he noticed that Adora's grave marker had been replaced by a stone plaque that read

 _ **Here lies Adora Cain**_

 _ **Beloved Friend, Mother and Wife**_

 _ **May she rest in peace**_

Right above the words was his Tin Man's badge he had left on her grave so many months before. It was then he noticed that the tree that the grave sat beneath was in full bloom unlike the deadened tree they had come upon the last time he had been here. In fact the entire area surrounding the house seemed alive. Gathering up his courage he stepped into the house to face the woman that held his newly beating heart.

DG, having walked back into the house, walked up the stairs to the bedroom she had taken for herself. She changed for bed, not sure if Wyatt would try the barrier again or wait til later. After changing she stood at the window trying to see if she could see him coming or not. When she didn't see anything she was about to turn when she heard footsteps on the stairs. She froze knowing he was coming to her. A moment later she could feel his eyes on her but she still refused to turn and acknowledge his presence.

Cain paused in the doorway to the bedroom and stared at the vision before him. He took a moment to just look at her and he wondered again why he had kept his feelings for this woman hidden for so long. When she didn't turn to look at him, he walked towards her as she stood resolutely at the window looking out. When he was standing directly behind her he reached up and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Deeg, look at me, sweetheart," he said softly, using one of her many nicknames.

She slowly turned around to face him, her heart beating so fast she was sure he could hear it. Looking up into his face she caught sight of pale blue eyes and saw in them the love that she had always hoped to find there shinning at her, but she also saw suppressed anger as well. "Wyatt..." she whispered his name. Not really sure how to word what it was she wanted to say.

"Now, would you mind telling me why you ran off without so much as note to say where you were going? Do you have any idea how worried we all were? How worried your parents were when they found out you were gone? How worried I was?" he growled trying to reign in his anger at her.

DG had been expecting his anger, in fact welcomed it. She knew she deserved his censure for running off the way she had yet there was a part of her that needed to defend herself. "I knew, Cain. Trust me, I knew exactly how worried everyone would be; that is why I left the note in the library. I am surprised though that none of you found it."

He was taken aback by that. They had not found any note in the library and so asked where said note was in the library. "In the room I used for studying, of course. I would have figured it would have been one of the places you would have looked for me in," she returned heatedly.

He looked at her then, her brilliant summer blue eyes blazing with fire, a fire he wished wasn't trying to scorch him at the moment. He remembered looking in the room she spoke of but had not seen any note but then again he had only glanced into the room at the time and not seeing her within had left to look elsewhere. Shaking his head he told her that he had no wish to fight with her that they needed to talk about why she had run off in the first place.

"You know why or you wouldn't be here," she said trying to turn away from him but found that he had wrapped his arms around her, keeping her from turning from him and effectively trapping her within his embrace.

"Darlin', what I want to know is why here? Of all the places in the O.Z. why did you choose here?" though he already knew the answer he wanted to hear it from her own lips.

"I needed answers. And the only way I was going to get them was to ask someone close to you. Someone who you couldn't seem to get over," she cried struggling to free herself from his embrace.

He tightened his arms around her pulling her closer before asking, "So you decided to call up the ghost of my dead wife?"

"Well, yes. In fact, it's a good thing I did too. I learned more about you from her in one night than I have from you in the entire annual I have known you!" she huffed and stopped struggling when she felt the shift in his demeanor.

"And it never occurred to you to just ask me?" he asked exasperated by their current dilemma.

"And would you have been so forthcoming?" she countered staring up into his intense icy blue eyes.

He thought about that for a moment and knew she was right. He wasn't all that forthcoming when it came to his feelings hence why they were now in this situation. "Deeg, what exactly did the two of you talk about?" he asked hesitantly. Not sure he really wanted to know the answer to that question or not.

"Oh, just about how stubborn one ex-Tin Man can be, is all...And why it is he can't seem to tell the woman he loves that he actually loves her," she retorted but seeing the pain on his face at her words she softened the blow, "Wyatt, you have been my dearest and best friend this past year and I fell in love with you almost from the start. But it wasn't until you and Glitch rescued me from the tower the first time that I came to realize that that friendship had changed into something more. I hesitated in saying anything because I knew that you were still grieving for your family. When I learned that Adora might still be alive, I admit I was jealous but I also was happy for you. However, when we found out that she had died a part of me grieved with you. I wanted to take away the pain you were feeling. It hurt to see you grieving her all over again after doing so for so long. Then when we were on the hill before the final showdown with the witch and you were the one to pull me into a hug...I knew then that something had definitely changed between us. That embrace, looking back on it, had been born out of desperation and fear of losing each other. Correct me if I am wrong."

Wyatt could do nothing but hold her. His thoughts went back to the day on the hill. She was right, that hug had been born out of his fear of losing her.

"You are not wrong. I did fear losing you that day. It was the one time I knew I wasn't going to be there to protect you and it scared me half to death. I spent eight annuals in that iron suit and made it out alive but the thought of losing you... That's why I said what I did that day. I feared losing you. I knew at that moment that I couldn't live without you. You who had brought me back to life. Showed me that revenge is not the answer, made me remember who I once was and who I wanted to be. I knew at that moment that I loved you. But what really had me scared was the fact that I loved you far more than I had ever loved Adora."

She pulled back from his slackened embrace to look up at him once more. She had to know, "Why? Why did you push all the bad away and only remember the good times with her?" she finally asked after several moments of silence which had befallen them.

He looked down at her in shock. How in the world did she know about that? Then he remembered she had spoken to his deceased wife. "I guess I felt guilty about not being able to protect her like I should have." Then asked softly, "Deeg, how much did she reveal to you about our history together?"

She looked up at him then and sighed this was not going to be pretty. "Everything. She told me what your courtship of her was like as well as your marriage. She also said that the two of you had not been right for each other and..." she stopped not sure if she should reveal the part about the soul pairing.

He pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes trying to see what she was hiding from him. "Deeg.." he let out a warning growl which had her stiffening in his arms.

"Wyatt, how much do you know about Soul Pairing?" she finally asked after a moment of silence.

That had him releasing her abruptly. "Soul Pairing!? Why do you want to know about that?" He feared his wife had told her about the strange occurrence he had had as a lad.

"Because apparently we have that bond," she stated calmly while staring at him.

"Deeg, the last known Soul Pairing was between..." he stopped and stared at her in shock realizing what was happening between them. He realized then that the light that had engulfed him then had been her light. It was in that moment that he realized he wasn't all that much older than her to begin with. His thoughts were interrupted when she finished his sentence for him, "The first Dorothy Gale and her own Tin Man," a small smile playing on her lips. She knew why he had stopped. Her own reaction to learning about the Soul Pairing had had her seeing the similarities between herself and her ancestor. She knew that that was what he was coming to realize at the moment too.

"History is repeating itself isn't it?" he whispered in shock.

"It would seem so," she answered taking his hand and leading him to the bed where she pushed him down to sit on the edge. Coming to stand in front of him she asked, "Do you know what will happen when we complete the bond?"

He nodded still in shock. He knew that when they did complete the Soul Pairing her magic would flare out and would purge any remaining evil from the O.Z. Just as it had when her great grandmother had bonded to her soul mate. However, he also knew that to complete the bond they would have to come together both physically and emotionally. There could be no doubt on either side for the pairing to be completed. Theirs would be an unconventional wedding that was for sure. The magic of the Soul Pairing would essentially marry them. The thought had him smiling. Looking up at her he pulled her closer and silently asking for permission and it being granted he placed a soft kiss to her lips. Pulling back before she had a chance to deepen the connection he laid back on the bed pulling her to lay with her back to his front between his legs.

"Sweetheart, I know that Adora told you about our history together but do you mind if I tell you my side of the story?" he asked caressing her arms as he spoke directly into her right ear.

"Nope, go right ahead," she whispered trying to hold back a groan of pleasure at his caress.

Kissing her temple he began to tell her of when he first met Adora. He continued on describing their courtship and marriage from his point of view and DG was surprised that the two versions of the story lined up so perfectly. When he was finished she told him that Adora had been watching over both himself and Jeb from the moment of her untimely death and that she didn't blame him for anything. She also told him that Adora had told her that she had never wanted him to become a Tin Man. That little tidbit was a surprise to Cain as Adora had never said anything to him on the subject.

They continued to talk long into the night, falling asleep in each others arms as the twin suns rose above the horizon.


End file.
